National anthem tour

Edvins Beitiks, OF THE EXAMINER STAFF

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, August 1, 1998

THE TOKENS are singing the national anthem before Monday's game between the A's and the Yankees at the Coliseum. Hearing the name, Americans who grew up in the '50s and '60s can't help but think of the group's

"a-wimoweh" rendition of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" - a song that dominated the charts in December of '61 and January of '62, beating out "Please Mr. Postman,"

"Goodbye Cruel World" and "Big Bad John."

But the 1998 version of The Tokens has moved past "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." The group is in the middle of its

"Anthem '98" Tour, meant to promote awareness of the anthem by singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in each one of the 30 major-league ballparks. The Coliseum is the 15th stadium on a circuit that will end in Baltimore Sept. 19.

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The Tokens, doing the anthem a cappella, have already performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at stadiums in Canada, the Southwest and the East. They performed the anthem at Candlestick last April 13, and will head for the Midwest after their stop in Oakland.

"People have been real good about this," said Mitch Margo, 51, an original member of the group. "What we're trying to do is get everybody to think more about the anthem. We're all so wrapped up in our own lives, we forget."

Margo's nephew and drummer for the Tokens, Noah Margo, said the reception from stadium to stadium has been solid.

"The Mets were wonderful, the Phillies were wonderful," he said. "Usually, people are still coming into the stadium when you start the anthem, but at Arizona the place was filled with people who were there early to see (Mark) McGuire take batting practice, and they gave us a big, big ovation when we sang."

The Tokens performed the anthem at Yankee Stadium the year the Yanks won the World Series, said Margo, "and they keep calling us to come back. We're part of a superstition, kind of a good-luck charm."

Noah Margo, 30, son of original group member Phil Margo, is touring with his father and uncle, along with Jay Leslie and Mike Johnson. The Tokens are shooting for inclusion in the Guinness World Book of Records as the only group to sing the anthem in every major-league ballpark, but it's more important to get people to listen to the words, said Margo - it's more important for them to understand what the anthem means.

"It's so strong, so moving," he said. "But . . . people don't care that much about the anthem any more. Television and ballparks don't care.

"When they give you a minute and 30 seconds to do it before they cut away to a commercial, you know they don't care. Stadiums are trying to separate you from the anthem, from the sport you're watching. . . . The only thing they bring to you is what you can pay for with money."

The Tokens aren't being paid for "Anthem '98," said Margo. "It's a lot of hours. It's a lot of travel. But it's a blast. Being with my father on the baseball field is very special. I don't take it for granted at all."

But some people take it for granted, said Margo - he sees men standing for the anthem, talking or casually leaving their hats on their heads as the music plays. "That shows you the anthem's on a lower rung of respect than it should be," he said.

But then, Margo has also seen men break down in tears, listening to the music. He almost did it himself when the group performed the anthem at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and expects to get emotional when the Tokens put the crowning touch to their tour by singing the anthem at Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor - the fort that was bombarded during the War of 1812, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Once the tour is over, the Tokens, headquartered in Los Angeles, will resume their regular schedule of concerts, playing in front of crowds that inevitably want to hear

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight."

"It kind of had a rebirth in "The Lion King,' " said Margo. "People are always coming up to us, telling us they remember dating to that song or getting their first kiss to that song. Once, we had a Vietnam veteran come up to us and say, "That song helped me get through the war.' "

Mitch Margo said, "There's something magic about the song. I've sung "wimoweh' billions of times, but people never get tired of hearing it. Even little kids know the words."

Phil and Mitch Margo formed the Tokens in Brooklyn in 1959, covering Everly Brothers tunes and writing their own songs until they found "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" - originally done by the Weavers as "Wimoweh." They created their own harmony for it and watched it climb the charts. The Tokens had nine more Top 100 songs by 1970, but none made the impact of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."

The group broke up in the mid-'70s but reformed in the '80s with the Margo brothers at its core, taking part in a doo-wop revival at the Radio City Music Hall in '81. Former lead singer Jay Siegel, who still keeps in touch, teamed up with the group at a recent concert in Cancun, and sang the anthem with the Tokens at Shea Stadium.

To Noah Margo it's a beautiful thing, standing on the grass before a game, getting ready to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner." "I just love being on baseball fields," he said.